Many years before the birth of the boy named Rapl Tsukumo, there was a commotion in the city of Nerio. Walking past the night roads of the capital were five men, all wearing black capes; four of them had swords, but the one in front was carrying a scroll, his hands curled into a fist that crumpled the paper, "Was this information true Grand Chancellor?" One of the swordsmen remarked in a hurried but panicked tone.
The person leading them was a man in his mid-forties, he had a sharp rugged red beard with red long tied-up hair; the man carried an aura of power, and his gaze was mighty and grand, "Swordsaint!" He called in a powerful voice, "Our gamma reporters are not to be underestimated, whatever information they give us they have investigated it with the utmost precision, this information is true."
The swordsman lowered his head in shame, but his hands curled into a fist full of rage, "Dammit!" He exclaimed, "My sister's in Kendro with her fiance, what is sh-"
"Do not think of it swordsaint," the bearded man quickly replied, "Whatever you do, always hope for the best, I'm sure his majesty will recall all Zanians currently in foreign land, do not fret." Even with the man's reassurance, the swordsman was still tense.
The five men made it to the royal castle of Zan, and the four swordsmen stayed outside as the man leading them entered the castle. He immediately removed his cape, revealing him to be wearing a red uniform, with black shoulder tassels and an eye symbol on his chest.
He walked through the hallways of the castle, but as he turned a corner, he heard it, a tune of both music and discussions. He quickly walked to the noise, which came from behind a massive door, so with one last deep breath, the man entered.
In that room were all five of Zan's symbols. In the corner of the room was an elf playing an ornate harp, her hair was a long green tied into a low ponytail, and she wore many robes of black and red, and on her head, was a big black hat, "Hello Kore, how's your evening?" This was Iniya Pellor, the current Symphony of Extinction and the Empire's Symbol of Joy.
The bearded man cleared his throat, signaling to everyone in the room that he bore heavy news, one of the heads that turned was an orc, yet he was not bulky and fanged like the others. He had a tall, slim figure, standing at a gigantic height of ten feet, his orange hair reached down past his waist but also reached up to a peak; a wicked smile was plastered on the orc's face as he turned to the man, "Oh what news do you bring this time Grand Chancellor?" This was Boshamir, the current Grand General and the Empire's Symbol of Strength.
But the bearded man was focused on the presence of the two people in front of him, discussing something near a table. A chill was felt by everyone in the room as a figure, at a height of twenty feet tall exhaled through his thick long beard, his long dark blue hair was tied into a braid, and his blue skin spoke of his ice-giant race, "What is it Kore?" Boer Florrinson, the current Grand General, a title shared with Boshamir, and the Empire's Symbol of Strength.
The bearded man's face turned serious as he began to think of what to say, "Your majesty, I bring bad news!" He stated, finally having the words in his mouth, "The prejudice for Zanians living in Io and Fabarol is escalating!" He stated, his voice full of emotion. The bearded man was Kore Jair, the current Grand Chancellor and the Empire's Symbol of Knowledge, "In cities in Kendro and Fhalil, Zanian-owned businesses and even houses are being burnt down, multiple hundred counts of deaths and murders are happening, even to the thousands!"
At the news of this, Boer slammed his massive fist on the table, breaking it, "THOSE DAMN-" He couldn't even finish his sentence before his anger got a hold of him, "WE HAVE ASKED THEM!! FOR YEARS NOW!!" He stated, but as anger was on Boer's face, worry was on Iniya's.
"Don't tell me that Kore," she begged. Kore could see the worry in her eyes that were close to welling into tears, "My husband and daughter are on a trip in Fabarol… I-I NEED TO TELL THEM TO GET BACK!!" She panicked. But in the complete opposite of the others, Boshamir began to cackle to himself, his wicked smile curving into a dreaded smirk.
"YES YES!!! IT IS TIME FOR WAR!! LET ME HAVE THE KENDRIANS!! I WANT TO HEAR THEIR CRIES!!" He laughed in a dreaded voice. All was going to chaos, with Boer furious, Iniya worried, and Boshamir joyous, all because of the news Kore brought in.
"Silence." But like a predator in a chaotic forest, all became silent with only a small noise. Kore saw it, pure, unadulterated, fury. As the Emperor, the Empire's symbol of Order, the Great Lich Artefus, made his command known to his servants. With a flick of a wrist, a throne made of bone appeared behind him, and one by one, the symbols all walked in front of it and kneeled.
"What is your command, your majesty?" Kore asked, his voice full of reverence towards his Emperor. Even the wicked smile or fury of the Grand Generals was extinguished, and the worries of Iniya were subdued.
Artefus sat thinking, his head leaning on his fist as millions of thoughts entered and exited his brain. But after a few seconds, "Iniya," Artefus called out first, resulting in the musician turning to him, "Tell all of Gamma to announce worldwide the return of all Zanian citizens back to the Empire," Artefus commanded.
"Yes your majesty," Iniya replied bowing as she waited to hear more of Artefus' commands.
"Boer, Boshamir," the Lich next called, "Prepare our soldiers, get the Scars up to standard, and be ready to strike at my command."
"Yes Your Majesty," the two Grand Generals both answered, a cold face on Boer and a grin on Boshamir as they bowed their heads.
Then Artefus stared Kore deep in the eye, his gaze already telling Kore what his command for him was, "Kore."
"Yes your majesty?" He quickly replied.
"Let us give the world one last chance to repay all the sins they have committed towards our people, and if they do not." He then got up from his chair, an aura of darkness consuming Artefus as his voice was full of conviction, venom, and power to strike the hearts of any being, "Then let us give them days of darkness and cold, where the light of Elios will not grace their bodies, and they will rue the day they tested the patience of the Emperor of all Zanians."
A few days later, the Emperor of Zan, the Grand Chancellor, and the greatest minds of the Zanian senate stormed out of the Zeroth Global Assembly located in the Kingdom of Daupawn. Laughing Kings and Queen were left inside the building as Artefus gritted his teeth in pure rage. A few months later, The Empire of Zan attacked The Empire Mizumi, leading the entire world to declare war on the Empire, starting the war known as, The Great War.
Now, as Artefus finished, Rapl's eyes widened in shock. Artefus saw his knees shake in utter shock, so he guided him to sit at the foot of the silver statue. Seeing the young man's utter shock, Artefus decided to hold off some details he wanted to tell him, "Is… there anything else?" Rapl asked, his voice shaking and stumbling, yet he was determined to hear a tale never told to him.
Artefus' eyes grew, slightly surprised, "Do you know child? I wanted you to be my successor due to your gift and gift only, of course your intellect and empathy goes without saying. But, it turned out, you're better than that, your sense of curiosity can be dangerous, but it is curiosity that leads to greatness does it not?" the Lich remarked, his hands guiding through the dark hair of Rapl, its warmth and gentleness shocked the young man, "But I don't want you to fight for me due to hate."
Rapl looked up, seeing a slight emotion on the Lich's face; his eyes spoke of an emotion he never thought he'd see from the man named The Wrath of Zan. His brows curled, and his eyes lightened, and the slight emotion of regret passed through his face.
"I want you to fight for something you love," he uttered, his eyes pointed at Rapl, but the young man felt as if Artefus wasn't focused on him, "I know more than anyone the power that rage and hatred give you, it's a strength that could bring down mountains and break the world. Yet, child, when you fight for something you love, you'll see yourself be able to go through hell and back, for hatred hurts, but love endures. So I want to form a good base for you before I tell you any of the acts the world kept hidden from the public."
Rapl was taken aback by what Artefus said, he had heard tales of the Lich's cruelty and wickedness; but now that the most evil being Zeroth had ever seen was in front of him, he wondered if the horns and tales of a monster were just like that on his cape, something to put on, either by him or those around him.
"They told me," Rapl opened his mouth, he no longer felt tense around the Lich, "You were a cruel man, why don't you ever deny it?" He asked, leaving Artefus to scoff.
"You're a smart child, Rapl, but about that, I'd rather we continue our stroll with your party, I'll tell everyone why I do so," Artefus exclaimed, walking off, leading to Rapl to follow.
Soon the duo returned to the main party with Edwin already there. Larch soon showed them a restaurant, and the party ate along with Artefus. After eating, Edwin began to play music for the customers as Larch sang with him; the rest of the party was still cautious of the Great Lich, but there was a lighter tone to him, one everyone saw when Artefus and Rapl would talk.
So as the Lich went to the bathroom, Leena and Sevi sneaked up to Rapl, "What happened between you two?" The archer asked, supported by the fire mage.
Rapl took a deep breath, thinking of what to say, "The Lich told me a lot of things, things that showed me that Zan wasn't the only reason why the Great War occurred." Both Leena and Sevi stared at Rapl with a perplexed gaze.
Bok and Alex overhearing the conversation, turned their sights on Rapl, "It's the whole battle against Zan thing right?" Bok asked, though he didn't know too much, Bok had heard about it from other people.
"Yeah, an old lady in a magic store back in Dartine told me the most popular story about how it started, how the Empire of Zan attacked the Empire of Mizumi out of nowhere," Rapl began, leading Sevi and Leena to lift an eyebrow,
"But isn't that what happened?" Leena asked, "That's the same tale I heard in Entarealm."
But Rapl began to tell them the backstory behind the great war from the perspectives of the Zanians; how their people were facing persecution and were even being killed by the hundreds. As Rapl talked more, Leena grabbed him by the collar.
Her eyes that of worry and rage, "You do realize Rapl, one of his names is The Deceiver?" Leena remarked, her eyes that of pity towards Rapl, "And even if that is true, the deaths of billions by his command still stands, he is no hero."
"That is a fact he already told me," Rapl interjected, grabbing Leena's hand as he set it down, his eyes that of a man determined, "You and I have grown up thinking the Empire of Zan is that of suffering, ruled by an iron-fisted ruler who wants nothing but bloodshed." Then, Rapl presented the restaurant, that of men and women dancing, singing, and laughing, "Is this the image you expected to see when you got here?"
Leena couldn't respond, although she was stubborn in serving the Great Lich, "But why doesn't he deny the whole thing then? Why does he present this Empire as that of darkness?" She asked.
Rapl didn't have a clear answer for her question, but he did answer, "I don't know," he replied, turning to see the Lich walking towards them again, "But it is something I want to figure out."
After the party finished their food, Artefus turned to Edwin, a cheeky grin painted on his face, "Edwin, Sheera's back, she just sent me a message asking if she could hear your music to soothe her busy day," the Lich remarked, leading Edwin to get flustered.
He coughed, "Well if you excuse me." He stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Larch almost cracked up laughing, but then Artefus handed him a bag of coins.
"Thanks for your work today Larch, I'll take it from here, I gave you extra so you could take the family out for a nice meal," Artefus remarked, leading to the cheery Larch to light up.
"THANK YOU~ YOUR MAJESTY!!" He expressed, holding the bag near his chest; Artefus smiled at this, his hand rubbing the top of Larch's head. Soon the guide left, leaving the party and Artefus.
An awkward air came between the group, as now with context the party was less scared of Artefus, but there was still caution in their stares, "Everyone," Artefus called out, leading all of them to turn their heads to him, "Can we take a walk, I want to show you something."
The party did what Artefus told them, following the Lich as he walked through the streets. Kids and older people greeted or played with Artefus as he went, but Leena noticed that for an Emperor, he wasn't surrounded by countless people, "I thought there would be more people around you?" Leena asked, leading to the Lich to chuckle a bit.
"They're used to me wandering around, so I don't get flocked much," he replied. But after half an hour traveling the city, on foot or some carriages, Artefus had led the party near the peak of the city. There the entire party was in awe at the sight of Nerio up there, it was expansive, breathtaking.
But when they made it to the highest point of the city, it was almost life-changing. All around their sight was Nerio, its beauty and history there to witness, its people laughed and lived their lives. And on top was a patch of grass, with one thing on top of it that left everyone bewildered; instead of a statue, a memorial, or a building. There was a circle bench, one you'd typically see around a park.
But as Artefus saw it, he couldn't help but smile, "Out of everything in this world, this one place is my favorite place to go," he uttered, sitting on the chair, taking a deep breath as he looked unto his city, "A few hundred years ago, there was a discussion on what to build up here to show off Zan's greatness, but at the end, I decided on a small chair. For nothing comes close to showing Zan's greatest achievements than making one look directly at it."
As Artefus said those words, the party saw light in the darkness of the Great Lich, a man said to be so evil, yet the man who in front of them, exuded no such thing. As Artefus continued to stare, his mouth twitched, as if words were trying to pry out of them, and eventually, it did.
"I do not trust Zeroth," Artefus remarked, leading everyone to turn at him. Yet his eyes were still pointed at the city, "When I was a young boy, as old as you are now Bok, I lived in the most impoverished country in the world, The Kingdom of Zania. At that time, it was being invaded, its people being killed by the Demon horde led by Baraka the Bloodborne. Zania had many allies, The Kingdom of Arksan, The Dynasty of Hekule, The… Kingdom of Kendro. Yet in that invasion, none came, what's a few million people they must've said behind their rotten hearts." The party could see the rage behind Artefus' face as he recounted the tale, "The only one left fighting was a Zanian mage, more specifically the mightiest mage in all of Zeroth at the time, The Stormbringer, Harley Zerith… yet, he still fell at the might of the Bloodborne."
Everyone's eyes grew wide in both confusion and shock, especially the twins, "W-What happened after," yet it was Rapl's voice that came first from the group, his eyes having that same fire he always has when presented with new information.
Artefus stared with a melancholy expression as he looked at the ground, "I fought her… Baraka the Bloodborne, for I was the only one that could… and in the end, I won… yet still, The Kingdom of Arksan dared to declare war against a run-down Kingdom." Artefus got up, his fist banging on his chest as he stared at the horizon, his rage swelling up to be something else, "So as they came, I fought and sent them back towards their capital, Akal warned me if I took over Arksan they would declare war on Zan. I laughed and shamed them, they dared to sheathe their blades as my people fell, and when we fought back, they dared to point it at us?" Artefus uttered, his voice sounding almost inspiring, a light replaced his dark aura as the party was in awe, "To the Boerian Mountains down to the Sea of Osila, the hearts of the Zanians didn't cower. Even when we were against Kendro's greatest age of mages, we stood, even when Ender Prince of Demeos burned down Nerio, we stood, even when a thousand armies sailed their boats towards Nerio, we stood. The world can call me whatever they want, and I will destroy, desolate, and deceive all who stand against this Empire of Red!"
But as Artefus' voice rose, it went back down, as he turned towards the party, his eyes not that of a dictator, nor a king, nor a lord, nor an emperor, but his eyes spoke of the truest Leader Zeroth will ever see.
"All for them," he remarked, as he looked past the party, and when Rapl followed Artefus' sight, he saw Nerio. No, he saw the people of Zan, "If I make myself the monster, the lord of the suppressed, the great demon lord, and the one foe of all," he continued, walking towards the party, "Then maybe, just maybe, when I fall, these people will rise, and be accepted, they deserve it, for the centuries they have been rejected and ignored… but before then," Artefus called, lining himself between the party, their fears and worries now gone, replaced with awe and admiration, "I will need champions to defend them."